A traffic flow simulator for short‐term travel time forecasting

This paper presents an off‐line forecasting system for short‐term travel time forecasting. These forecasts are based on the historical traffic count data provided by detectors installed on Annual Traffic Census (ATC) stations in Hong Kong. A traffic flow simulator (TFS) is developed for short‐term travel time forecasting (in terms of offline forecasting), in which the variation of perceived travel time error and the fluctuations of origin‐destination (O‐D) demand are considered explicitly. On the basis of prior O‐D demand and partial updated detector data, the TFS can estimate the link travel times and flows for the whole network together with their variances and covariances. The short‐term travel time forecasting by O‐D pair can also be assessed and the O‐D matrix can be updated simultaneously. The application of the proposed off‐line forecasting system is illustrated by a numerical example in Hong Kong.     

Impact of information technology on public transport fares data

The work described was undertaken as part of the CASSIOPE project in the EC DRIVE programme. A range of fare collection procedures in public transport is described, and the importance of these for data collection by operators is stressed. It is suggested that such data management could be standardized and to this end four case studies were carried out in different European cities. Data models were built for each city, and these models are merged into a preliminary version of a generalized model. The need and uses for such a fare collection data model is explained.     

The dynamics of traffic assignment and traffic control: A theoretical study

The paper considers traffic assignment, with traffic controls, in an increasingly dynamic way. First, a natural way of introducing the responsive policy, P_o, into steady state traffic assignment is presented. Then it is shown that natural stability results follow within a dynamical version of this static equilibrium model (still with a constant demand). We are able to obtain similar stability results when queues are explicitly allowed for, provided demand is constant. Finally we allow demand to vary with time; we consider the dynamic assignment problem with signal-settings now fixed. Here we assume that vehicles are very short and that deterministic queueing theory applies, and show that the time-dependent queueing delay at the bottleneck at the end of a link is a monotone function of the time-dependent input profile to the bottleneck. We have been unable to obtain results when dynamic demand and responsive signal control are combined.     

Coupled transport-reaction pathways and distribution patterns between siliciclastic-carbonate sediments at the Ria de Vigo

This paper examines the linkages between the space-distribution of grain sizes and the relative percentage of the amount of mineral species that result from the mixing process of siliciclastic and carbonate sediments at the Ria de Vigo (NW of Spain).The space-distribution of minerals was initially determined, starting from a detailed mineralogical study based on XRD-Rietveld analysis of the superficial sediments. Correlations between the maps obtained for grain sizes, average fractions of either siliciclastic or carbonates, as well as for individual-minerals, were further stabilised. From this analysis, spatially organized patterns were found between carbonates and several minerals involved in the siliciclastic fraction. In particular, a coupled behaviour is observed between plagioclases and carbonates, in terms of their relative percentage amounts and the grain size distribution.In order to explain these results a conceptual model is proposed, based on the interplay between chemical processes at the seawater–sediment interface and hydrodynamical factors. This model suggests the existence of chemical control mechanisms that, by selective processes of dissolution-crystallization, constrain the mixed environment's long-term evolution, inducing the formation of self-organized sedimentary patterns.     

Effect of fatigue strain range on properties of high-strength structural steel

Ship hulls are built with stiffened steel plates and experience continuous fatigue load cycles when in service. Mechanical properties of the steel are expected to change due to the application of these cyclic loads. Therefore, the mechanical properties of the material at various levels of fatigue damage need to be understood. This paper presents two test series that were conducted to determine the effect of two different strain ranges (2000 and 3000 micro strains) of fatigue cycles on the mechanical properties of high-strength structural steel. The test results indicate that the cycle-dependent behaviours of the material can cause a slight increase or a significant decrease in the yield strength when compared to its virgin state. However, the ductility of the steel does not change much as the strain cycle increases.     

SLENIUM FROM BEEF IS HIGHLY BIOAVAILABLE AS ASSESSED BY LIVER GLUTATHIONE PEROXIDASE （EC1．11．1．9） ACTIVITY AND TISSUE SELENI

ＳＬＥＮＩＵＭＦＲＯＭＢＥＥＦＩＳＨＩＧＨＬＹＢＩＯＡＶＡＩＬＡＢＬＥＡＳＡＳＳＥＳＳＥＤＢＹＬＩＶＥＲＧＬＵＴＡＴＨＩＯＮＥＰＥＲＯＸＩＤＡＳＥ（Ｅ．１．１．９）ＡＣＴＩＶＩＴＹＡＮＤＴＩＳＳＵＥ　ＳＥＬＥＮＩＵＭＳｈｉＢｉｎｇ；Ｊ．Ｅ．Ｓｐａｌｌ...     

On the axial force induced on a duct by a propulsor

The axial force induced on a duct (duct thrust) which surrounds a propulsor is, by means of an energy conservation argument, expressed in terms of the thrust and power of the propulsor and the kinetic energy losses per unit of time of the propulsor and the duct. Emphasis is put on the linear theory of an axisymmetric ducted actuator disk, where it is shown that the work done by the duct thrust is equal to the extra work done by the actuator disk when it is surrounded by the duct. This simplified model gives more insight into the interaction between the propeller and the duct and on the limits of linearization.     

Pb and Pu in the Northeast Water Polynya, Greenland: particle dynamics and sediment mixing rates

Distributions of the radionuclides ²¹⁰Pb and ^239,240Pu in sediment cores from the Northeast Water Polynya, Greenland, showed that these nuclides reached depths of 5–15 cm by particle mixing and sediment accumulation. End-member average values of the particle mixing coefficient and sediment accumulation rate were 0.13 cm² y⁻¹ and 0.06 cm y⁻¹, obtained from the ²¹⁰Pb profiles by assuming that each process is dominant relative to the other. Both ²¹⁰Pb and ^239,240Pu were measured on four cores; using the Pu data to constrain mixing rates produced corrected sediment accumulation rates that were 20–80% of the values calculated by neglecting mixing. Organic carbon burial in the polynya sediments was ≤0.4 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹, based on measured POC values at depth in the sediments and sediment accumulation rates corrected for mixing. This value is about 1% of the independently measured POC flux leaving the euphotic zone and compares with benthic carbon remineralization rates of 7% calculated by others from O₂ uptake in the sediments.The inventories of excess ²¹⁰Pb in the sediments ranged from 6 to 28 dpm cm⁻². Relative to the atmospheric input of ²¹⁰Pb and in situ production from decay of ²²⁶Ra, approximately 5 dpm cm⁻² of ²¹⁰Pb was being removed from the water column. The difference between the removal from the water column and sediment inventories suggests a net import of ²¹⁰Pb to the polynya. This may occur by input of dissolved ²¹⁰Pb from offshore waters or by input of ²¹⁰Pb carried by sea ice. Particulate matter in land-derived fast ice adjacent to the polynya contained 330 ± 14 dpm of excess ²¹⁰Pb g⁻¹. If particles transported in sea ice are comparable to those extracted from fast ice, then sea ice transport into the polynya followed by melting may be an important source of excess ²¹⁰Pb to the area. Fast ice also may contribute ²¹⁰Pb if portions break off and melt within the polynya, as occurred in 1993.     

Acceleration noise and level of service of urban roads - A case study

Capacity measurement of roads under mixed traffic conditions as prevailing in India is ambiguous as it varies with time, composition of traffic and roadway encroachments. High incidence of slow moving vehicles and tricycles adds to the problem. Volume - capacity ratio appears to be an inadequate measure of defining level of service under mixed traffic situations. An attempt is made in this paper to explore the possibility of presenting unconventional parameters like standard deviation of speed, co-efficient of variation of speed and acceleration noise as possible measures of level of service. Tentative ranges of acceleration noise are proposed in association with flow and speed to explain level of service of urban roads catering to mixed traffic. The results are based on a study conducted in Madras, a major metropolitan city of India.